the Heart of a Priest
by TheTwilightMoon
Summary: The Story of what I think happend to TzekelKan after he was captured by Cortés and his men. Chapter four is up and running! Enjoy!
1. Isabel

Chapter One

He sat in the corner of the cell in the basement of the ship, his black-haired head bent against the wall, his eyes listless. He could not remember the last time he had felt actual sunlight against his skin. It was so bloody cold down there in the cell. He could feel his bare skin shiver in the darkness. He was wearing nothing but a wrap around his hips, gold earrings, and gold bracelets. He didn't know how long he had been there. It could have been days, or weeks, or even years maybe.

A fairly thin man to begin with, he was now thinner than ever. It was not that didn't have food; there was some on the small table on the far left of the cell, where some had been ungraciously thrown. He was just refusing to eat. He figured if he was going to die anyway, he might as well shorten the sentence.

He had been told by the man who had captured him, that he was being taken back to Spain, to be enslaved. He didn't like the sound of that at all, so he was now just killing himself slowly. Every minute that he spent feeling hungry, he regretted ever leaving El Dorado. He regretted ever making his people despise him. He wished that he had somehow managed to bring some of his spell books with him, so that he could somehow just teleport back to the island, but he knew that was out of the question now. He sighed in annoyance, hating himself.

"I am such a fool," he rasped in the darkness, "An ignorant fool!" He pounded his fist against the wall, causing the table to collapse in on itself. Cursing, he got up and strode over to it, and fixed it hurriedly, for he heard footsteps over head, and was worried that it was Cortés again. He didn't feel like getting beaten again, so once he had finished, he sat back down, and curled up again.

The footsteps and grown louder, and more hurried, which made him think that it wasn't Cortés up there. It was most certainly someone else, much lighter in fact. He raised his head slightly, curious. The footsteps had grown immensely loud now, and very fast. Then, there was a shout from on deck, and a female cry, and then silence. He heard a gun fire, and for a moment, supposed that whoever had been on deck was now dead. Bored again, he returned to glaring at the wall. It wasn't until he heard voices, that he paid attention.

"You were a fool to hide away here sister," said the voice of Cortés.

"_I_ am the fool? I beg to differ! _I_ wasn't the one who killed mother, and jailed Juan! That was _you_! Or have you purposely forgotten?" There was the sound of someone being hit, and then quiet sobs could be heard from the deck.

Cortés's laughter could be heard now. "You are weak, just like mother. You know she begged for death."

"_Bastard!_" screamed the voice of the young woman, "You will pay for what you have done to our family! You will!" Cortés laughed again, and then he said something to one of his soldiers.

"Take our little guest to the cell below deck. She can join the native liar down there, and they can rot together." There was the sound of cruel laughter again, and then the cell door opened, and someone came falling in. They lay there for a moment, before sitting up and waving a fist at the sky.

"You _will _pay for this Cortés! When Papa returns, _you will die!_" She then began to cry softly into her hands. It wasn't until she looked up that she noticed him sitting in the corner, quietly observing her.

"So you are the native liar he spoke of, yes?" She had a think, Spanish accent, long dark brown, almost black hair, tanned skin, black eyes, and was wearing a dull brown dress.

She sighed, "Go ahead and laugh. It must be amusing to see a woman being beaten by her so-called brother," she laughed mirthlessly, "But you probably don't even understand me, huh?"

"On the contrary, I don't find it amusing in any way," he answered perfectly, "It is kind of sad really."

She stared at him in disbelief. "You speak out language well. What is your name, if I may ask?"

He struggled to stand up, and when he succeeded, he bowed low before her. "I am Tzekel-Kan of El Dorado."

She then burst out laughing. "_El Dorado_ Such a place does not exist!" She then turned away from him, her eyes cold and hard.

He smiled slightly, revealing his slightly pointed teeth. "Oh, but it does my dear. I am from the city of Gold. Do I need to prove it to you?"

She turned back, her face stony. "Fine, enlighten me."

He smiled and came and knelt before her. "My earring, and my bracelets, they are solid gold." He removed them and held them out to her.

She stared at him like he was a mental case. "You expect me to believe you are from El Dorado by simply showing me these? You probably stole them!"

"I did no such thing! Look at me! I am half dead already! When do you think I'd have had the time to steal these? I've been here for ages!"

Her scowl lessened slightly. "Whatever. I don't believe anything you say anyway."

"And why not may I ask? I am native to you? Or is it something else?"

"I have nothing against natives, or anyone else for that matter._ However_, you are a prisoner of my brother, and therefore you must be a troublemaker. What did you do?"

Tzekel-Kan sighed, "I disappointed him."

Her eyes widened, "Oh, you meant to show him El Dorado, and it wasn't what he wanted?"

His eyes met hers. "Why, yes! How did you know?"

She laughed, "Typical Cortés. He is never happy to be let down. That's how our mother died… She failed to give him, eh, _something._"

"Do I need to ask what?"

"It's none of your business!" she snapped. She then composed herself, and stood up.

"I am Isabel Cortés, sister to the man who has been torturing you." She smiled slightly at the look on his face. "What? You never thought he had a family or something?"

He snapped out of his reverie. "Huh? Oh! No! That isn't it! Uh, yeah, just, um…"

She giggled, "Don't hurt yourself! So you're really from El Dorado then?"

Tzekel-Kan smiled. He may have just met this strikingly beautiful young woman, but he was glad for the company. Perhaps he didn't want to die after all. He gestured absently to the food on the table.

"Are you hungry?"


	2. Many Feelings

Chapter Two

_"The stars are not in position for this tribute!"_

_"Stop Tzekel-Kan.__ There will be no more sacrifices! We don't want any sacrifices!"_

_"But-!__ I speak for the Gods!"_

_"The Gods are speaking for themselves now! This __city,__ and these people have no need for you anymore! Now GET OUT!"_

He sat bolt upright on the floor, his heart going crazy, and his chest rising and falling rapidly. It took him a moment to remember where he was, and then the image of Cortés flashed in his mind, and he remembered. He could hear the oceans outside, and feel the ship moving slowly. He looked wildly around the cell for some kind of comfort, and his eyes came to rest on Isabel, who was sleeping peacefully on the other side of the cell, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath.

A strange sense of peace came over the former High Priest of El Dorado as he watched the young woman sleep. He titled his head in interest, wondering why he felt this way. _It's just nerves, _he concluded, and shrugged it off. He had never had such a pleasant conversation with any other woman as he had had with Isabel the previous evening. He sighed again, frustrated by these sudden emotions. He got up, and began pacing back and forth in the cell, for it was still freezing, and he wanted to stay warm.

He looked out the small window in the cell, and could see that they were slowly approaching land. His heart leapt at the prospect of escaping when Cortés wasn't looking. As he was planning his strategy in his mind, his eyes strayed to Isabel again, who seemed to be having an unpleasant dream, for she was now covered in sweat, and moaning. What would happen to her if he escaped? Would she be tortured? Or worse, _killed?_ He sighed again, and sat down on the floor in anger. He did want to escape, but he couldn't help worrying about Isabel at the same time.

He scowled. Why was he worrying anyway? Humans were weak. To bring her with him would only slow him down. She'd probably make up some lie, and leave him stranded somewhere. Typical human woman, only thinking or herself. He smirked and stared at the food that had been brought several hours previously. There was some stale bread. Lovely. And some stagnant water. How thoughtful. He didn't feel so hungry anymore now. He took to leaning against the wall, and staring out the small window. He had made up his mind. He was going to escape the moment the boat docked. He didn't care of he got shot in the process, at least he had tried.

Without even realizing it, his thoughts strayed back to Isabel. He now became angry, and scowled at the young woman through the dimness of the cell. Why was he feeling this way anyway? He decided it would probably be better not to even mention his thoughts to her from now on. He had been far too polite to her yesterday, and now he realized that she didn't deserve it at all. After all, _she _was only human.

He stormed across the room and accidentally smashed his fist on the wall, forgetting that Isabel was still sleeping. She groaned and sat bolt upright.

"For goodness sake Tzekel-Kan! Have you _any_ idea what time it is?" Her voice was mildly annoyed and slightly amused as well.

He gave her a hard look. "My apologies, I forgot you were sleeping."

She gave him a confused look at his sudden change in attitude. "Eh, it's alright. I was half awake anyway. Hey, are you alright? You look sort of upset."

He smirked, "I am fine, don't trouble yourself."

Her stare turned icy. "Very well. I won't do so anymore them."

He nodded slowly. "I should hope not."

They were both silent for a few moments, the tension building with each passing second. They both wanted to ask eachother why they were both in this situation, but neither wanted to speak now that they had both upset eachother.

Tzekel-Kan finally broke the silence. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Huh?"

He smirked for what was about the millionth time that morning. Humans were so _slow_. "Why did you hide away on your brother's ship? You know he will eventually kill you right?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "Don't you think I planned this out before I leapt aboard?" The look on his face made her scowl deepen, "Okay, so I _didn't _exactly plan it all out. All I knew was this: He must die. He killed my mother for God's Sake! I mean, how could he do that? She was his mother too!" She wiped away some tears quickly with the back of her hand. _So weak, _Tzekel-Kan thought with a smug grin.

"Did he have a reason to kill her perhaps?"

She raised her eyes and gave him a disgusted look. "One _never_ has a reason to kill his own mother." Her eyes blazed in the darkness.

Tzekel-Kan smiled slightly. She was cute when she was spitting in anger. "So what happened when you came aboard?"

She shrugged, "I got lucky. There were already to stowaways on the ship. They were stupid enough to get caught, and then thrown in this very cell. I was able to stay hidden for a few days, until they escaped that it."

"They escaped?"

"Indeed. A poor attempt too. They tried to take some rations, and then jump ship using a _long boat. _Can you imagine? Who in their right mind would even _think_ that? Anyway, they got caught, but my brother was too stupid, and lost them. They came to an island, and my brother went after them. However, before he did, I heard some of the crew members mentioned something about El Dorado. My guess is that the island we were on was where you were captured. The two men were looking for El Dorado I heard. So naturally, Cortés wanted it all for himself. So, he went after them, and came back empty handed, saying something about there being no El Dorado. He brought you back though, calling you a liar. The rest you know I guess." She looked up and saw that he was giving her a strange look.

"What?"

"Nothing," He picked up one of the cups and began to drink some of the stagnant water.

Isabel suddenly spoke again. "Oh, I think the men's names were Miguel and Tulio, if you wanted to know."

Tzekel-Kan choked on the water he was drinking. "D-did you say _Miguel and Tulio!?_"

She looked shocked at his sudden reaction. "Uh, yes. That is, I _think _that's what I heard them say… Why? Do you know them? Are they friends of yours?"

"_Friends, _isn't exactly the term I'd use," Tzekel-Kan sneered.

Isabel smiled, "What did they do?"

Tzekel-Kan smiled, "Well, they lied to all of El Dorado for one thing." For the next hour, Tzekel-Kan recounted the story of _Lord _Miguel, and _Lord _Tulio and what they had tried to accomplish. He told her of what had happened to him after Cortés had captured him, and how his people now despised him. When he had finished, Isabel was staring at him in what appeared to be fear.

"You used _dark _magic? But you're a priest!"

He held up his hands. "Believe me; I'm not proud of it. I wish I could take it all back. I hate the fact that I can now never go home, all because of those two _imbeciles!_" he hung his head, his eyes stinging. _What the hell!? Why am I acting this way? I seem, HUMAN!_

He looked up only to feel Isabel pressing herself against him in a hug. He was so surprised that all he could do was sit there and allow her to hug him. After what seemed like too long, she quickly pulled back.

"Sorry. I just thought you might have needed that…" Her voice trailed away to nothing, and she blushed fiercely.

He stared at her, almost saying thank you. However, at the last minute, he remembered his hatred for humans, and instead, sneered at her. "I think that _you _just needed to hug someone since you have the most miserable life I've ever heard of! _I _am a priest; I have no need for _affection_."

Her eyes turned cold and hard, "_Fine._" She then stood and stormed over to the other side of the cell, and sat down, her back to him, her body stiff and angry.

Satisfied that he had finally killed off any emotions they may have shared, Tzekel-Kan turned back to the window, seeing that, at last, they were docking.

He turned back to Isabel. "I suppose this is where I say goodbye."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "What?"

He grinned, "I am escaping the moment we dock."

She let out a bark-like laugh. "You are a fool. You will be killed instantly, or at least tortured. My brother isn't one to let someone as strong as you die. He'd rather have you as a slave."

Tzekel-Kan blinked, "Did you just insult me, _and_ compliment me at the same time?"

Isabel blushed, "Perhaps…"

He waved his hand. "No matter. I will get away as quietly as I can. I will not die."

"And what, pray tell, do you plan on doing when you escape? You don't exactly look like you belong in Spain."

"And why not?"

"You look like a native. You have face paint _Sen__i__or_," she giggled.

He scowled, "So? I don't wish to remain here any longer, would you?"

She shrugged, "I supposed you have a point. Can you at least take me with you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"You'd slow me down."

"Oh _really?_" her expression was annoyed, "Then I guess you don't want my help then?"

He blinked, "You can offer me assistance?"

"Only of you let me come with you."

"You drive a hard bargain Isabella. Alright, you may come, _only _if you help me."

She smiled mischievously, "That I can do." For the next hour or so, they contemplated a plan to escape.


	3. First Attempt and First Failure

Chapter Three

After what seemed like forever, the ship finally ceased to move. The two captives could hear Cortés and his troops moving about on the deck. He suddenly stopped and bent his head so he could say something to them.

"We will be gone for a few hours. I have assigned my most deadly man to watch over you both. So, if either so much as even _thinks_ about escaping, well…" he laughed and moved his finger across his throat, as a signal that they'd both be dead.

Isabel scowled up at her brother, and made a rude hand gesture. He stuck the butt of gun rifle down through the opening, and struck her in the head with it. She fell down, holding her head and groaning. Tzekel-Kan glowered up at Cortés, who smirked and vanished.

Tzekel-Kan knelt down beside Isabel, whose forehead was now bleeding. "Are you alright? That looks painful."

A single, silvery tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"I wasn't, but allow me to heal it."

"How can you do that?" Her voice was suspicious now, and her eyes narrowed.

He smiled, "I am a priest, remember?" He reached out and gently placed his hand on her forehead. Green wispy smoke encircled them both, and in a minute, her wound was healed.

She stared at him with wide eyes. "H-how did you do _that_?"

He shrugged, "It is a little something I picked up."

She smiled slightly, "Well, thank you."

He shrugged absently, "You are welcome. But I can only do that so often .My powers are extremely low since I've been separated from my spell books.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well then, I'll try to be careful."

He smirked, "Good. Then let's get out of here." He helped her to her feet, and the two of them stationed themselves on either side of the cell door. Tzekel-Kan locked eyes with Isabel.

"Right, on my count, I'll blow up the door."

"What what?"

"My power, of course."

"Oh, right,"

"_Anyway_, I'll blow up the door, and then you go and beat the guard."

"_Beat him!?_Are you insane? He's about 300 pounds heavier than me! I'd have an easier time flirting with him!" Seeing the smirked growing on his face, she blanched. "Oh no. _No way!_ I am _not_ doing that! You hear me? No way!"

"But what have we got to lose?"

She scowled, "I hate you."

He shrugged, "To be honest, I am not quite fond of you either."

"Then why did you let me help you?"

"I needed help."

"You are sick and twisted."

"Thank you."

She gave him a disgusted look. "How about this, I deal with the guard, you run, and then I don't ever have to see your face again!"

"Works for me."

"Fine. It's been nice knowing you," she turned away briefly, before turning back. "Let me rephrase that. It _hasn't _ been nice knowing you, and good riddance!"

He smirked again, "Can we get this over with please Ms. Cortés?"

"Whatever,"

"Good, now go and distract him!"

"Please blow up the door first, but do it quietly."

"_How?_"

"I don't know! _You're _supposed to be the one with magic powers!" The moment she finished the sentence, there was a small explosion, and the door flew open. Tzekel-Kan was giving her a smug smile now, revealing his pointed teeth.

"_Thank you_," she growled through gritted teeth.

"_You're welcome_," he replied in the same voice.

She scowled again, and then slipped out the door. The guard by now had heard the explosion, and was on his toes.

"What happened?" He demanded when he saw Isabel. She merely gave him what she thought to be a flirtatious smile.

"Oh that?" she giggled, "It's nothing. Your mind is just playing tricks on you!"

The guard gave her a surprised look. "Huh?"

"Why worry about a little explosion? When there are more important things…" she winked at him, and he blushed slightly.

"Like what?"

She shrugged, still smiling at him. She went and placed a hand briefly on his chest. "I don't know, you tell me!" She giggled again, and walked behind him so she could see Tzekel-Kan. _You are so dead! _ She mouthed angrily at him. He merely grinned back in response.

The guard was now completely entranced. "Well, there is a beautiful young woman standing here. I guess that's more important, right?"

Isabel smirked, "Now you've got it!" She then grabbed him and kissed him full on the mouth, while gesturing to Tzekel-Kan with the other hand to run.

However, Tzekel-Kan seemed to have frozen. Something in him was stirring, and he could feel it growing rapidly. It was white, hot, boiling anger. He had absolutely no idea why he suddenly felt so angry. However, he did know one thing: he didn't want Isabel kissing the guard anymore. He grabbed a long piece of wood, and struck the guard over the back of the head with it. The guard collapsed instantly. Isabel opened her mouth to scream, but Tzekel-Kan grabbed her and put a hand over her mouth.

"_Shh! _Are you crazy?" he hissed in her ear, "Do you want Cortés come back!?"

She bit him and he let go instantly. "_No!_ I thought I had a pretty good handle on the situation! Until _you_ went and knocked him out! What is _wrong_ with you!?" Her face was contorted with anger now.

"I'd like to know the same thing," a voice hissed from the bow of the ship. The two captives whirled to find Cortés standing there.

"_Damn!_" gasped Isabel.

Cortés came forward, his eyes blazing. "I thought I told you both not to try to escape! Now you will pay for your foolishness!" He darted forward and attempted to seize Isabel by the throat, but Tzekel-Kan got in front of her before Cortés could. He therefore seized Tzekel-Kan by the throat instead. He lifted the now extremely thin man into the air.

"Why do you protect my sister?" he spat at him, "You have nothing to gain! You are a lowly native!"

Isabel raced forwards with an angry cry. "No! Cortés stop!"

Cortés didn't listen to his sister. He threw Tzekel-Kan from him, and then aimed his rifle at his chest. "You have been a thorn in my side since you came on this ship. No you will die like the filth you are!" He was about to pull the trigger, when Isabel let out an inhuman howl. The whole crew was staring at her now, including Cortés.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

Isabel's eyes were practically flaming she was so angry. "If you kill him it will be in cold blood and that's wrong!" she yelled, "It will only make you weaker than you already are! You are _pathetic!_"

Cortés was silent for a moment, before letting the rifle drop, and storming down the stairs to his room. He slammed the door, but not before saying, "Do what you want with her," to his soldiers.

Tzekel-Kan let out a snarl as the soldiers leered at Isabel, who cringed back, mortified. She then ran to Tzekel-Kan and they both raced back into the cell. They slammed the door. The moment all was quiet was when Isabel rounded on Tzekel-Kan.

"Well what do you know? We're back where we started! All because you _had_ to try and escape! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had to save your life back there!"

Normally, Tzekel-Kan would have retaliated with some kind of snide comment, but instead he merely muttered. "You are right."

"And- huh?"

"You're right. It was a pathetic attempt on an escape. We should have never even tried. You are right. And I am sorry."

She stared at him. "W-why are you apologizing? You don't have to!"

He chuckled. Clearly, he had caught her off guard by saying he was sorry. "I just wanted to say that, whether you wanted me to or not."

She stared at him. "Thank you. It means a lot." She then went to the other side of the cell, and lay down, preparing to sleep. Tzekel-Kan watched her for a few moments, the words she had spoken to Cortés ringing in his head.

_"You will kill him in cold blood and it's wrong!"_ Cold blood…the very thing he had used to do. The very thing that had made his people loath him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands. He was so unbelievably tired. Something about this girl just seemed to wear him out. Perhaps it was her spirit, or, perhaps, something else… _No! _He thought savagely. _You cannot be tempted by this human! She is weak! You know that!_ He scowled again, and lay down on the floor, preparing to sleep as well.


	4. Memories and Realization

Chapter Four

The morning dawned colder and greyer than ever. The ship was moving again, and by the look of the sea, they were nowhere near land at all. Tzekel-Kan awoke the sounds of the soldiers moving around somewhere up on deck. He sat up and looked around. Isabel was sleeping on the other side of the cell, as usual, and her chest was rising and falling slowly. He tilted his head, and then it snapped up as he heard a yell from on deck.

"You idiot!" The whipped cracked again, and Tzekel-Kan flinched at the sound. He remembered how that whip felt against his skin…

"Move native!" Cortés's angered yell came from behind him. Tzekel-Kan scowled and cursed him again, his hatred for this man burning even more now. Unfortunately, he figured that Cortés had heard him for he felt the big man's foot on the small of his back, and the next thing he knew, he was sprawled face down on the hard rocky ground. He sat up, spitting rocks covered in blood out of his mouth. He stood up and wiped his hand across his mouth, glaring up at Cortés.

_Damn you Miguel! Damn you Tulio! If it hadn't been for you two, I wouldn't be ion this mess! Burn in hell you bastards! _ His hatred for them burned like the heat of three thousand suns, and it only grew with each passing second. He still worshiped the Gods, of course, but he must now worship them from afar, again.

He was hauled to his feet, and thrown several meters again, and he was forced to walk ahead of Cortés once again. The soldiers snickered as Cortés lashed his whip, and struck Tzekel-Kan, for the hundredth time that day. The man from El Dorado yelled in pain, and fell to his knees. Cortés laughed again, and kicked him in the head with his foot, knocking Tzekel-Kan into unconsciousness…

When he awoke, he was sprawled inside a cell. He could hear the voices of the soldiers above him, and figured that he must be below deck. Judging by the position he was in, he guessed that he had been unceremoniously thrown there by the soldier.

"_Bastards!_" he hissed in the darkness. He would make them pay, in due time. Firstly, he must gather his strength, before doing anything drastic.

Later that evening, he was standing on top of a stool, and looking through the bars of his cell onto the deck for someway of escape when the time arose. He noticed there were two ways of getting off the ship. He decided that he would wait and watch when they docked, which exit they chose. Once he determined which one they were leaving from, he'd sneak out and take the other one.

Just as he was about to climb back down, he saw a flicker of movement to his left. His eyes flitted in that direction and he could've sworn he saw someone crouching in the shadows. He squinted, and to his utter surprise, he saw a pair of eyes staring back at him. They eyes shined in the darkness. They were a sparkling brown, and they looked just as confused as he was. The person, for that was what it was, inched forwards a few feet, before freezing at the sound of movement. One of the guards was coming up the stairs from below deck. Whoever was hiding in the shadows vanished as quickly as they had appeared, blending in with the blackness around them. The guard spotted Tzekel-Kan looking out of his cell, and threw an apple at him. Tzekel-Kan shrank back into his cell, and cowered in the corner of it. He remained like that for a few moments.

Then, as if they were part of the wind, moving soundlessly, the shadow of a person appeared over him. It was the silhouette of a woman, by the looks it them. Tzekel-Kan sat up and looked at her. He couldn't really see her face very well in the dark, but he could tell she was smiling at him. The smile seemed comforting in a way, but he couldn't really tell why.

"_Miedo no. Te ahorraré,_" she said smiling down at him through the darkness.

He tilted his head. "What?"

She smiled again, "_Volveré. Satisfaremos otra vez. Adiós."_ She then vanished, and he did not see her again for a few days, until she was found by Cortés, her brother…

Tzekel-Kan snapped back to reality with a shake of his head. He found that his eyes had once again fallen on Isabel. Cursing, he inched away from her. He looked around for some kind of knife, so he could perform his daily blood sacrifice. As was stated before, he still worshiped the Gods, and felt it was necessary that he gave some blood to prove it.

He finally came across a knife sitting on the floor, possibly dropped by on of the guards. He reached out and picked it up. He strode back to his spot, and sat down, pressing the blade of the knife to the palm of his hand. The blade then moved in the dimness, slicing his hand right open. He groaned in the darkness, but proceeded nonetheless. The blood splattered down his front, and onto the floor, as he wiped his hand on the wall, making symbols, and chanting silently. He closed his eyes and murmured several phrases in an ancient language. He smiled as he felt a strong surge of power blast through him and he knew that the Gods knew he had made his blood sacrifice.

He then realized that the blood hadn't ceased to flow like it usually did. Cursing loudly, he pressed the hem of his skirt thing to his hand to stem the flow. He didn't even realize that by now Isabel had woken, and was watching him, her expression curious, and a little repulsed.

"What _are_ you doing?" she asked, making him jump.

"Nothing! I was just performing my daily ritual!"

"By what, trying to commit suicide?"

"No!"

"Then what?"

"It is none of your business!"

"Fine, suit yourself,"

"I will!"

She smirked and then got up and came over to him. He looked confused for a moment as she knelt in front of him. She gently removed the cloth, and took his hand in hers, sending chills up his spine. She turned his hand over, and examined it quietly, her black eyes slightly narrowed.

"Well, if you want my opinion-"

"I don't,"

"Too bad. You didn't bandage this properly at all for one thing, _and _you shouldn't have done it in the first place!" She scowled at him, but at the same time, looked slightly amused. He gave her and annoyed look, but she shrugged it off, and started to properly bandage his hand, by tearing off part of the hem of her dress. He started at her as she did, and said nothing. Her hands were ice cold, and she seemed sickly to him. Her skin was pale, and her breath was shallow.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

She looked up, "Huh? Why do you ask?"

"You seem sick."

She gave what he supposed was a smile. "I just have a little head cold. Lack of sleep, lack of food, you know," she shrugged absently.

He smirked, "Whatever you say."

She scowled at him, and continued to bandage his hand, and he watched her. This was perhaps the calmest moment the two captives had had together. Tzekel-Kan leaned back against the wall when Isabel had finished. He looked at her for a moment, before coming and sitting next to her, she looked up at him, her expression surprised.

From that moment on, the two would always sit next to eachother, and not quarrel as much. Tzekel-Kan didn't know exactly what had changed between them. Perhaps it was because that Isabel had still helped him even though he was always horrible to her. Perhaps it was because, even though he had tried to deny it, he had discovered feelings for her, deep within himself.


End file.
